Yinz needs tell Doctor, "Yinz Welcome."

Uh-huh. Rudeness in the Burgh.

It is no secret that there are quite a few small things that I find a little irritating about my being a transient resident of Pittsburgh. One such no-see-um, I swat at it but can't squish it, bugger-like-annoyance has been the Burghish variant of manners. Now, I recognize that mannerisms are certainly regional. And I am all right with the fact that there is a variant of English spoken here that I will probably never really understand (but you can read all about it other places online, or have yourself a little fun at home with your very own Yinzer doll (you should totally follow this link, btw)). But one thing that I find overwhelmingly frequent, and rude, is the prevalence and use of the colloquial, "Uh huh."

What does this rambling crap even mean?

I will tell you.

Gimme a sec.

Ok.

The local vernacular includes the use of the slang phrase "uh huh" in many situations in which others might say, "I'm sorry!" or "Excuse me!" or "You're welcome."

This might not seem like much, but after my being smacked with a grocery cart by a soccer mom, in shock I exclaimed, "Excuse me!"
She replied, "uh huh."

In a shop, if I pay for something and the clerk hands me my change, I say, "Thank you." Where I am from, a reasonable reply to this might be, "You're welcome."
But on many occasions here in the Pitt, in lieu of a respectful return nicety, I have been told, you guessed it, "uh huh."

Uh-huh, to the uninitiated, sounds dismissive. It is paramount to your saying aloud, "you owe me, bitch."

The sleeper must awaken...

I have been missing the autotherapeutic effects of venting my angst and snack-lusts here over the past many weeks. Sorry, dear friends, who actually subscribed to this blather rag, that I have left you so high and dry. More is coming. In fact, I wrote two posts on a plane yesterday, and will post 'em later.

In the meantime, I would like to suggest a local radio station that is actually good. Pittsbugh's WYEP is terrific. You can even stream it to your desk wherever you are (like I am right now) and get happy. Last night I enjoyed an hour of Bhangra in the car, and they play my not-quite-latest-but-still-great musical crush, Yoav.

WYEP is definitely something good in Pittsburgh. Enjoy.